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F***in’ virus! Youth group holds cussing contest to help people vent...in Javanese

Venting is a powerful way of dispelling negative emotions, and mouthing off like a sailor adds even more oomph. But can you swear in Javanese?

Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post)
Yogyakarta
Fri, July 10, 2020

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F***in’ virus! Youth group holds cussing contest to help people vent...in Javanese The Jawasastra Culture Movement (JCM), a Yogyakarta-based youth group, is holding a Javanese-language swearing contest on Instagram from July 8 to Aug. 7 to cuss out the coronavirus. (Shutterstock/File)

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everal studies have found increasing levels of frustration, anger, stress, fear, anxiety and other negative emotions during the pandemic. 

While some people have turned to meditation, yoga, aromatherapy and other calming methods to cope with their negative emotions, a group of Yogyakartan youth has found an unusual way to vent their pent-up emotions: a cussing competition. 

The Jawasastra Cultural Movement (JCM) is holding a worldwide Javanese-language swearing contest to curse out COVID-19, the (current) public enemy #1.

"Our swearing contest aims to help the public channel their frustrations, especially those [people] who have had to stop their activities because of the COVID-19 pandemic," JCM head Yani Srikandi told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Yani said that all participants need do was to create a 3-minute video of them cursing the pandemic in the Javanese language and then upload it to Instagram with an explanatory caption.

The contest opened on July 8 and closes on Aug. 7, with complete information available on the JCM website.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LOSSS DHOOLLL SAYEMBARA MISUH 2020 TINGKAT INTERNASIONAL MENCARI KAISAR MISUH Untuk #sayembaramisuh yang ketiga ini, tajuknya adalah #misuhipandemi . Kira-kira, apa sing marai awak dhewe ngrasa mangkel nalika ing mangsa pandemi iki? Apa ilange nyambut gawe, sekolah sing preine kebacut suwe, utawa tumindak ra nggenahe wong sing duwe kuwasa neng negara? Pandemine wae wis njengkelke apa meneh nek ditambahi perkara liya-liyane. Pancen awak dhewe wis napak fase Nyu Normal satengahing pandemi iki. Dadi sementara waktu, kahanan pandemi diasumsikan 'normal' senadyan kasus Covid-19 neng Indonesia saben dina sansaya nambah. Ngadhepi mangsa gonjang-ganjing lan edan kaya dene ujare pujangga Ranggawarsita, minangka manusia apa sing bakal awak dhewe lakoni??? Misuh? Kenapa misuh? Kenapa ora donga wae ben pandemine ilang? Sik ta lur, awak dhewe donga utawa malah milih misuh kasile kuwi durung pasti, sing cetha mung Gusti Fengeran sing duwe ketetapan. Arepa donga nganti lali mangan nek Gusti ngersakake pandemine sik suwe arep ngapa? Protes? Tur arepa misuhi pandemi nganti cangkeme nyonyor apa pandemi bakal ilang? Ya embuh. Pisan meneh, kuwi kabeh Karsaning Hyang. Banjur kena ngapa kok ana sayembara misuh kanthi tema Misuhi Pandemi lan tingkate Internasional? Apa istimewane misuh lan apa nilai positife misuh kok nganti digawe sayembara? Halah, kokean takon. Sida melu ora? Gelem melu ora? Wani melu ora? . . Luwih pepake mangga cari di bit.ly/misuhipandemi klik link bio utawa swipe up story. . . #sayembaramisuh #kaisar #misuhipandemi #jancok #sikak #budayajawa #tradisijawa #kejawen #covid19 #javaneseculture #jawa #yogyakarta #jawatengah #jawatimur

A post shared by Jawasastra Culture Movement (@jawasastra) on

"It is an 'international' contest, since the pandemic is a global phenomenon, and Javanese anywhere in the world are welcome to participate," she said.

"However, they are prohibited from making racist, pornographic or sexist [remarks]," she stressed.

Yani explained that swearing was a long-held cultural tradition in Javanese civilization, and that it was not always used to express anger. Cursing, she said, was also used to express joy.

"When I joined [my] philology classes, I found an [ancient Javanese] manuscript containing curse words. So, even poets at the [royal palace] knew how to swear," she said.

JCM held a similar event in 2018 to criticize widespread social unrest prompted by issues of ethnicity, religion and race (SARA). (nal)

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